SWANNANOA – “Best of the West” banners hang in Mebane Field House, harkening back to a time where there was some debate as to the Asheville area's best team.
North Carolina’s only Nike EYBL Scholastic program has long outgrown those parameters, thanks to the contributions of seniors like Tyler Jones ’26, Dacen Petty ’26, and William Robinson ’26.
The trio played their final games in a Christ School uniform Tuesday night and went out on a winning note.
Dacen (23 points), Tyler (16), and William (15) outscored Asheville Christian Academy by themselves, while the Greenies (21-8) gave a textbook effort as a whole in the 74-52 road victory – creating much of their offense with their defense and unselfishly making extra passes.
William, in particular, got stronger as the game wore on, dribbling coast-to-coast for a dunk and swishing a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.
“I thought we did a good job, the boys came out and played as a team which is something we talk about,” Greenies coach Erasto Hatchett said.
“I’m super happy and proud of my three seniors, especially William Robinson. He really put it all together tonight. The boys were enjoying themselves. (ACA) was up big for us, and the guys responded.”
As alluded, Tuesday will be the last time this season that Christ School has its full roster as Nike EYBL Scholastic rules do not allow for reclassified seniors to play. The Greenies remain undefeated with Dacen, Tyler, and William available, and eventually shrugged off ACA (14-8) after a tight first quarter.
Christ School took a 32-25 lead to the half and expanded it to 57-33 at the end of the third quarter. The rest of the scorers were Trevor Manhertz '26 (10 points), Kingston Whitty '26 (five), Micah Goodlow '28 (three), and Jeremy Horton '26 (two).
Next up for the Greenies is a trip to Springfield, Va., for Nike EYBL Scholastic games on Friday and Saturday.
“We know what we need to do moving forward, the boys are growing each game,” Coach Hatchett said.
“We’re seeing some really good competition, some really well-oiled machines and heavy hitters on a regular basis. But that’s what we want. Guys are stepping up and preparing themselves and playing well. “